Final Fantasy VI: Modern Era
by EDS
Summary: A retelling of the classic game Final Fantasy 3...er...6. Set in a realm mixed with the game world and modern day United States.
1. Chapter One

A/N: This story is a mixture of modern times and the world of Final Fantasy VI. It's basically just a retelling of the same story, with a little bit added from my own mind. I've also "tweaked" a few of the characters, but not drastically. I'm probably going to have to leave a little out or else I'll be writing this story for years. Hey, it's a lot of story to tell! I based the society/culture on the US, since it's the society I know best (I live there, after all...), but many locations from the game will be added into their "North America." Please, read and enjoy.

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Final Fantasy VI: Modern Era

By: E.D. Spencer

  
  


The Past

  
  


Ever since birth, the two girls had been by each other's side. As time passed, their bond grew. Then...

"NO!!" the first blonde little girl yelled. 

The bad men pulled at her, trying to drag her away. The second blonde girl cried out, reaching her tiny hand to her friend.

"I don't wanna go!! NO!!" the first screamed out again, reaching out to the only comfort she had.

Their hands almost touched. The little fingertips wiggled and bounced off each other. The bad men continued to pull. The second little girl struggled to grab her hand.

She did the only thing she could think of. Power welled to the center of her being. She pictured the lightening in her mind. The image got stronger and stronger. Her power willed itself around the thought and it became alive as pulsating power. Static crackled in her tiny ears as the bolt became a part of reality instead of an object of the mind. 

"LIGHTNING!" her tiny voice rang out

The bad man dropped the first girl as electricity rained down on him. He jerked around a few times, then collapsed to a knee. When he composed himself, he glared at the girls, who know held each other tightly.

He lunged at the second girl, the little spell caster. Both girls screamed with fear.

"Celes! I'm going to kill you, you little cu--" he yelled out

Before he reached the girls, a hand grasped his shoulder roughly. The second man looked down at him scoldingly.

"Stop, they're just children..."

"Cid, did you see what your little bitch did!? She nearly killed me."

"Well, that's too bad. I'm sure she'll be stronger next time." Cid said dismissively

He had no heart for the bastards he worked for. He never attempted to act like he did, either. How could he care for men who would attack five year olds, no matter how powerful both potentially were.

Two little blurs of golden locks rushed over to Cid. Both wrapped their arms around his legs. He gently patted each little dear on the head.

"What's the problem, girls?"

The first girl, pulled away. "I don't wanna have any more tests!"

"Oh, Terra, dear." Cid said as he moved to a knee, "It will be alright. I promise it won't hurt."

Terra's eyes watered again. She hugged her arms around her body.

"You said that last time" tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Don't take her away!" Celes yelled

Cid smiled warmly at the two little ones. The children were his heart and soul. Only the children had any sort of worth in such a corrupt system.

"She'll be fine, Celes. Now," he stood up and held out a hand, "Come with me, Terra."

Hesitantly, Terra obeyed. She slowly walked over to Cid, putting her tiny hand in his. 

After the girls said goodbye, he slowly led Terra out of the room. The guard walked up behind him, whispering in his ear.

"What should I do with Celes?"

Cid's face fell as he sighed deeply.

"You know what you have to do."

The guard turned on his heel while Cid and Terra continued their way to the lab. The guard closed the door behind him. Celes moved against the wall. Her little legs shook beneath her.

"You're nothing but a waste. You'll never amount to anything." The guard sneered down at her.

He grabbed Celes' hair and yanked her to him. He pulled out a corked vial from his pocket. After taking the cork out with his teeth, he forced her mouth open and poured the thick green liquid down her throat. Celes fought with all her might, but she wasn't strong enough. She swallowed the bitter liquid and went still.

"There we go, much better now. Hm, time to rewrite your past."

The liquid had a property of memory wiping. The only things the drinker remembered were things told to him. The guard gently molded the little girl's memory, helping her to recall past events. A few things were left out.

Including Terra.

  
  
  
  


**13 years later**

  
  


General Celes, barely eighteen, stood outside the destroyed city. She'd led the troops to victory over and over. She crushed the enemy with her tactics and cunning. Her cold, time-hardened, blue gaze struck fear in the hearts of men twice her age and triple her size. 

Her current victory hadn't been much of a city, honestly. Still, it was a horrible feeling murdering women and children for no reason. The President said that these people were the enemy, so she led her troops as told.

With a heavy sigh, she held her sword. How many had she'd slain with the weapon? She wondered. More than ten, more than twenty...She wiped some blood and dirt off her face with the back of her hand, deep in thought.

One of the troops walked up to her.

"General Celes, should we pull out?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here. I think they've learned their lesson well." Her voice was icy cold, as usual.

The man bowed curtly. He always had a chip on his shoulder when she ordered him to do something. She had no idea why he hated her so much. Then again, she felt the same way, though she never knew why. He always had a look in his eye, like he was dissecting every move she made. Celes felt uncomfortable with that.

She watched as he ran off to order the men to pull back. She sighed deeply again. Inside she could feel that all of this wasn't right. She watched as her men gunned down innocent little boys trying to protect the small city. That couldn't be how things should be...could it?

Off in the distance she heard the machine guns of her troops firing along with chilling screams.

"It's coming! Run!!" they yelled.

"FALL BACK!!" Celes screamed

She didn't know what the hell scared the men that badly. She didn't WANT to know.

Those in ear shot also yelled the order. Men stopped and began running to the tankers and trucks to get out of there. Soon, however, the reason for the screams caught up with the Empire's men.

A massive beast came around the corner, stomping the people as though nothing more than ants. Celes' eyes widened. 

"What the hell is that thing?"

No one knew the answer. All they knew was the beast was no match for them. They fired everything they had at the thing, and it kept coming, unaffected. 

It snarled angrily followed by a ground shaking roar. People tried to cover their ears, but nothing could protect them from the deafening sound. Again, troops attempted to use weaponry against with fail. The beast grew more angry, with a berserk rage evident. 

Lighting and fire rained down on them from everywhere. Celes watched in horror as men burned alive. The smell of charred flesh quickly filled the air, causing the young general gag several times. Already, nearly half her men had fallen, and the beast was far from done.

She ran out before the creature with her sword. She concentrated a moment, raising the sword in the air. She gathered energy in the pit of her stomach, pulling on it and forcing energy around it inside of her. Energy passing by sucked into the invisible void, causing the first light to cross it "flash" briefly, before it absorbed. The creature started another barrage of magical attacks. Her sword acted as a magical lightning rod, bringing the energy into itself and Celes, who released it harmlessly into the earth below. Unfortunately, she only caught half of it. A large bolt of lightning struck just before her, blasting her back against on of the trucks.

"Celes you twat!" the bastard troop yelled out, "You're not helping!!"

She sincerely wanted to kill him, but she was sure the beast would do it anyway.

Barely conscious, she looked off to the distance, in the direction in the town they had mostly destroyed. The people left there in the burning village looked on, unafraid. It didn't take her long to realize that this thing had been released by the villagers as a last defense. The proud look on their dirty, bruised faces told her as much.

She searched passed the crowd, further into the dying town. She saw a woman holding onto a bloody mess. Blood streamed down her arms, dripping in clumps to the ground. The poor woman rocked back and forth, holding it to her bosom.

"Oh Gods..." Celes whispered, "That's her baby..." she said with a horror-stricken look in her eyes. 

'What have we done?' her mind screamed at her, 'This isn't justice, this is genocide. I can't be a party to it anymore...Never....'

With as much strength as she could muster, she got up from the ground and ran to the village.

"What the hell are you doing!?" the bastard yelled out

Celes collapsed in front of the people. Each stared at her with disgust and confusion. She understood why. With a clang, her sword skidded across the ground. She'd laid down her sword, showing that she'd surrendered.

"YOU TRAITOROUS WITCH!!" her men yelled out as the creature continued to stop, snap, and chomp on the troops.

Celes watched the last of her men killed with violent carnage. She almost got a certain amount of pleasure watching the bastard get picked up and pulled in two. When it was done, the beast headed back from wherever it came from leaving only the remaining villagers and the great General Celes Chere alive.

  
  


**********

Secretary of Defense A. Kefka pulled up to the MagiTec Laboratory around noon, Monday. He stepped out of his flaming Porsche looking around the place. He smiled bright as the morning sun with a hint of rat bastard.

He was a tall man, lanky with a sharp face, unnaturally blonde hair, and pointed nose. He wore fancy Armani suits, today's color of choice was a deep red, nearly brown, with an elaborate green tie. His large leather brief case matched his suit. He looked more like a mentally challenged pimp, than a man with high position and power. 

Many people thought he had the looks of a court jester. Then again, a lot of times he did seem like the clown of the White House. He certainly didn't seem like the type to know how the hell to help President Gestahl with war decisions.

Not that anyone knew HOW Gestahl got into office. Most people voted for the other guy.

Kefka walked up the long steps to the Laboratory with a jovial bounce. He waltzed into the building holding the door open for a few scientists who were behind him.

"Hello, Mr. Kefka!" the security officer at the front desk said politely

"Well, hello, Stan." Kefka grinned. 

The grin sent chills down Stan's spine. He tried to continue smiling politely while scanning Kefka's security card. When the clearance checked, Stan handed back the id card.

"Here you are, sir. Have a nice day."

"Stan, I'm going to have a wonderful day!" Kefka said as he passed through the giant, bulletproof glass walls

Yes, today was a glorious day for Kefka. His military engineers finished their little secret project. He was one step closer to his goals. All he needed now was the girl.

*********

Terra sat in the corner of her tiny windowless room. It was all the world she knew.

Time had taken away memories of her youth, corroding them till nothing remained. Now this tiny space had become the world to her, without an image of the outside. All she had of the world were books and a few magazines Cid snuck in.

The scientists probed her through testing almost daily. They seemed overly interested in her for reasons unknown especially regarding her magical abilities. When she asked, they told her she couldn't know. Some of the military people guarding her shut her up with physical violence. Those days, she'd huddle in the corner for a long time, crying bitter tears.

She knew no solace. She knew no happiness. She knew nothing but those four walls and the sealed door.

Occasionally someone would visit her, particularly the President who claimed to have found her abandoned at a young age. He claimed that during a trip of mercy, before he became president, he discovered the beautiful blonde baby, practically in a ditch. 

He knew she was "special," so instead of giving her to an orphanage, attempting to find her parents, or even adopting her, he handed her over to MagiTec. For most of her eighteen years, she remained there as the eternal science experiment. Yet, sometimes, he claimed her as a child.

After a few clicks sounded from the door, it opened. Terra looked up, then immediately frowned. Suddenly, she felt ill.

"You know, they give you a bed so you can lie on it, kid. Why sit on the floor?" he said, almost cheerily

She sneered at her guest.

"It's not comfy."

"Well, the government doesn't have money to spare on pets, dear. Take what you can get."

"What do you want, Kefka?"

His smile faded and turned to an angry glare.

"Such insolence will be rewarded with punishment, Terra. Keep that in mind the next time we speak."

"Hope that's not soon. What do you want?"

He smiled again as he slunk over to her like a snake. He bent down in front of her, staring her directly in the eye. Kefka brought his hand to her sweet face. Terra flinched when his hand first touched her cheek, expecting pain. Instead, she found his touch to be infinitely gentle, which she thought was much worse.

"You, dear, you."

She cocked a brow at him. "What do you mean?"

He could tell what she assumed, but that was far from his thoughts. He chuckled at the girl's apparent naughty mind. It was an intriguing idea, of course, but he'd have to play later. Right now, he had to get things on their way.

Kefka set his briefcase down then opened it. He pulled out a mechanical looking halo. Terra was intrigued with the seamless blue object decorated with greenish computer parts inside. Her eyes widened.

"Do you know what this is?" he said excitedly

"N-no."

"It's a little highly classified trinket from the military. It's called a 'slave crown.' It's really beautiful, I think. Do you want to know what it does?"

"Not really"

"I'll tell you anyway. This little hair banner strictly triggers the motor functions of the user, disabling higher brain functions including thought and reason. It also quells the need and desire to rest, sleep, or eat unless absolutely necessary. All thoughts, memories, and logic--poof--gone. Only instinctual and basic knowledge remains. All else is pumped into the user by whomever controls the slave crown. In other words, the wearer becomes a mindless drone, incapable to do anything other than what is ordered."

Terra backed away, but Kefka's arms blocked her in either direction. His eyes grew mad while they stared into hers, sensing the fear mounting inside of her. 

"Ah," his voice practically squealed, "I see you know what I'm going to do with this. Don't worry, little dear, once you wear this, you'll be just fine. You won't remember a thing." He cackled evilly.

His hand grabbed Terra around the neck, squeezing slightly mostly to hold her in place. She tried to claw at him with her nails, but he just laughed more. She thought to summon a spell or two, just to get him away, but soon realized there was no point. On his right hand she saw a small jeweled ring. The mechanical insides gleamed with the jewel. He had a barrier on that reflected magic.

Knowing defeat, tears trickled down Terra's cheeks. How could life be so cruel?

Kefka placed the crown over her ponytail and down her head until it touched her forehead. All of her movements immediately stopped. Her eyes grew vacant and hallow. Inside, Terra felt what little she knew slip away. Her past and present wiped from her mind as the world grew black.

The last thing she remembered until all was gone was Kefka's roaring laughter.

***Thanks for reading! I'll update soon, thanks. EDS


	2. Chapter Two: Narshe

A/N: Whew, it's been about two years since I've played this game, so I can't remember everything. Luckily, I found a game script for the story portion. I tried to find a decent game FAQ for the rest, but it left out enemy attacks. Anyway, enjoy.

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History forgotten. Long ago, the War of the Magi reduced the world to a scorched wasteland, and Magic simply ceased to exist. Thousands of years have passed... Mechanics have been rediscovered, high technology reigns, and the times of the Magi have been stricken from history books. But there are those who would enslave the world by reviving the dread destructive power known as "Magic." Can it be that those in power are on the verge of repeating a senseless and deadly mistake? 

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Part One

Chapter 1: Narshe

  
  


June 25th, 2023, 1750hrs

  
  


Summer so far north could hardly be called as such. Freezing snow still covered the ground and the winter chill whipped across the land. Daytime ruled the sky for every hour of the day, but that did not change the cold.

Biggs and Wedge stood on the cliffs with their high-powered binoculars fixated on the direction of the tiny mining town. After a few moments of searching, Biggs spotted Narshe in the distance. He poked Wedge and, after getting his partner's attention, he pointed it out.

"There's the city." Biggs said, his voice sounding raw from the cold air

Wedge took a look for himself. It was hard to make out, but it was definitely Narshe. The lieutenant lowered the binoculars then turned to Biggs. He let out a small grunt.

"Hard to believe an Esper's been found intact there, all these years after the War of the Magi..." 

Until a week ago, the men hadn't even known what an Esper was. A debriefing, though not very detailed, had been necessary for the pair to carry out their orders. When the Captain explained as much off the history as he could, the lieutenants thought he was joking. Magical beings weren't real. Captain Hawkke was deadly serious, though.

"D-do you think it's still alive?" Biggs said nervously

"Probably. Judging by the urgency of our orders." Wedge huffed again.

Biggs swallowed hard. That was an obvious answer. Captain practically forced them in the armor then shipped them out immediately. Biggs wouldn't have been surprised if Captain had strapped them on a missile and fired them to Narshe.

He looked back at the third member of the trio. Biggs used his head to gesture to the girl.

"And this woman, this... sorceress, why's she here? I heard she fried fifty of our M-TAS's in under three minutes!" Biggs whispered excitedly

Wedge shrugged. The debriefing barely covered the girl. All Captain Hawkke said on the matter was that she had magical abilities and that would be under their control.

"Not to worry. The Slave Crown on her head robs her of all conscious thought. She'll follow orders." 

Biggs sighed nervously. The girl looked very intimidating in her snow camouflage uniform and the large war armor even with the vacant look. Small tubes directly from the M-TA stuck out of her skin visibly. He wondered if she knew, even with it draining her, how honoring using the armor was. The military hadn't deployed them in the public until today. They kept the technology secret as well as the training.

"Alright," Biggs said as he climbed back into his MagiTec armor, "We'll approach from the east. Let's move out."

Wedge hurried to his own armor, climbing in and activating the weaponry system. "Let's put her on point. No sense in taking any risks. Forward!"

The metal armored feet thumped into the snow all the way down to firm ground. Machinery inside whirred and hissed as the machines began to move from the cliff to flat land below. The big clanky armor handled slowly, so the trek to Narshe would take some time. 

'This should be a quick in and out' Wedge thought in the silent walk across the snow plain. Luckily, the Canadian Parliament agreed to allow the US to handle the Esper instead of having conflict and dealing with the extensive Canadian infantry. They didn't want it there so they were more than happy to turn it over to Gestahl's people. Of course, the higher ups had to feign ignorance on the matter and turned the other cheek as the US military raided the obscure town even though they knew a notable death toll would be involved. Chances were that no one would even hear about it. Narshe seemed separate from the rest of the country, anyway, but with good reason.

That's how they wanted it.

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Police officers on guard watched outside the city. For the most part, they had no worries that anyone would visit. The town wasn't well known. No tourists ever visited. The government barely acknowledged the damn place, but the citizens didn't mind. The solitude suited them well.

One of the seated men stood up quickly, taking another look out into the snowy plain. He gasped audibly as the other three men with him joined him.

"Yankee armed forces?!? Not even Canada is safe anymore!" he yelled out, sounding the city wide alarm.

Woman and children screamed in alarm along the streets. Everyone rushed into their homes, locking the doors tightly behind them. The police force of Narshe gathered weapons and took positions along different points on the street. 

"Narshe's freedom depends on us!" the chief yelled through their walkie-talkies

The officers buckled down the fear. The Chief was right. Narshe depended on them. No one else would come to their aid, not even Parliament.

The armored tanks--as best as anyone assumed the armor was--stomped into the town, guns blazing. The first barrage of bullets wiped out the first of the fighters guarding the entrance. Blood splattered along the snow coated paved streets, followed by chunks of flesh. The armor stepped on the fallen bodies with sickening squishing sounds, then led a trail of blood behind them.

Narshe weaponry fired down on the American intruders from all sides. The armored group turned the guns to the villagers, sending rounds of bullets and blazing hot lasers. The lagers chopped off limbs from the rebellers causing them to fall from rooftops and cliffs leading to the mines. 

Biggs and Wedge removed themselves from the battle, mentally, as trained. Their weapons continued to mutilate and murder Narshe's people. Both men had looks in their eyes nearly as vacant as the sorceress'. Wedge barely noticed when one of the villagers somehow managed to shoot him in his shoulder through the glass. The sorceress turned to him quickly, sending out a pulsating and warm beam of light and his wounds began to heal. A second or two later, the wound disappeared, not even leaving a scar behind.

The girl's armor had many more abilities than Biggs and Wedge, from curing to poisoning. Neither of them understood how that was possible, but it came in handy. She eliminated more of the town's officers than both of the men combined, using rays of fire, ice, and lightning.

The police had them surrounded on all sides, guns still firing, but now using grenades. 

"We have them surrounded!" one of the rookie cops yelled out, thinking that this conflict was to be over soon.

"We must defend the mines!!" the Chief screamed through the walkie-talkies

The officers pummeled them more. Desperately, they tried to find a way to disable that damn armor, but to no avail. Beams emanate from the laser cannons, quickly eliminating most of the police. Horrific screams of pain echoed through the city as the men fell. The mechanical parts of the armor whirred again, stomping on those who'd died and continued to the mines.

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Narshe's men stood down for now after the three had almost completely obliterated any rebellion. Wedge, Biggs, and the girl stood at the entrances of the mines.

"According to our source, the frozen Esper was found in a new mine shaft..." Wedge said softly, pointing off to his left, "Maybe this one..."

The trio entered the mines. The scent of coal and metal ores filled their noses as they passed through the torch lit caverns. Both men mused how outdated these people obviously were.

A few guards here and there dared to attack them, but the three easily laid waste to these enemies as they had the ones outside. Even a few impossibly large rats came at them in defense of the mines. They exterminated the vermin quickly.

"Hey wait, what's that?" Wedge said as they passed through another corridor

"I don't know..." Biggs said as he approached the glowing object

He stepped up to the object. After further examination, he realized that the light linked to a cable port. He pressed a few buttons on the armor and a cord popped out of the suit, linking to the port. 

"Seems to be a data port of some kind."

Information blurred across the tiny monitor inside the M-TA. Biggs didn't catch it all, but it had to do with what they'd done on the mission so far. The file compressed and loaded onto the server to send directly to the Pentagon. "Would you like to save now?" flashed across the screen.

"Would I like to save now? What the hell?" he repeated out loud.

"What?"

Biggs turned to Wedge. "This thing is asking me if I'd like to save..."

"You sure it doesn't say 'send'?"

He turned back to the screen. It did indeed say "send" and not "save."

"Oh, heh, must have read it wrong." He pressed send. 

The information sent its way through the port, then shut down. The cord for the M-TA returned to the armor.

"Well, let's get going." Wedge said, heading back into the depths of the cave.

Endless twists and turns waited for them. The mines seemed as though at some point they'd stretched all the way to the center of the earth. Biggs was starting to lose his patience.

"Did they have to make the seats so uncomfortable? And the design....sort of reminds me of something out of Star Wars..."

"Biggs, just shut up." Wedge said while sighing.

Biggs flipped the other man the bird, though he knew Wedge couldn't see it. Right before he started to vocalize the idea to Wedge, they spotted something in the distance. Slowly, the three approached.

"It's the Esper." Wedge whispered softly

From no where, it seemed, two large guards charged at the trio.

"We won't let you have the Esper!" one guard yelled

"Whelk, get them!" the second exclaimed afterward

Wedge cocked a brow after killing the guards, wondering what the hell a "whelk" could be. His answer came quickly and a gasp from the young man. A large snail-like creature slithered its way from another corridor, making an odd moan sound. Goo trailed behind it as it moved closer and closer to them. Wedge's eyes went wide as he noticed Whelk's large spikes protruding from the shell. 

Spikes launched from the shell at them. Biggs barely missed one aimed for his head. Wedge defensively blocked himself with his M-TA's mechanical arms.

"Hell!" Wedge yelled out while the spike made a clang against the metal

He charged up his fire beam, unleashing the burning laser on the creature. Whelk screamed--if you could call it that--then headed deep within its shell. Seeing the success in his actions, Wedge charged for another attack.

"Hold it!" Biggs yelled out, "Think back to our briefing."

Wedge gapped at Biggs. Now was the time to attack, not to have flash backs.

"What about it?" he said exasperated

"Do you recall hearing about a monster that eats lightning?..."

Wedge thought back. The Captain had mentioned something about it.

"...And stored the energy in its shell!" Wedge finished the statement

He held off his attack, keeping the energy blast stored for an attack on the head. Biggs heard the whirring sound of the charge up and decided to make sure Wedge understood.

"Right. So whatever you do, don't attack the shell!"

Wedge rolled his eyes. "Alright, already..."

Whelk came out from hiding. Wedge fried its head with another fire beam. Biggs followed with his own beam, while the girl armed her missiles at the beast. The missiles flew from the cannon, three in a row, each pelting the head then exploding. Whelk roared angrily, using his own attacks at the trio. Biggs took a damaging blow, nearly knocking him over. The sorceress immediately healed him with her cure beam. Biggs was back on his feet right after.

She launched another barrage of Mtec Missiles at the beast before it could retreat into its shell. The weapons detonated, exploding on the gooey skin of the Whelk. Pieces of snailish flesh splattered on their M-TAs, covering different parts but affecting nothing.

The final missiles did away with the beast. After a loud groan, Whelk's head collapsed on the ground with a squishing thump. Puss-like substance oozed from its opened wounds. Biggs and Wedge took a few moments to cheer themselves, but the mission wasn't over yet. The trio headed closer to the frozen Esper. 

Cracks and peaks on the ice made it hard to figure out exactly what the beast looked like. It was colorful, made of blues and yellows. It seemed to have wings, but neither man could be sure with the watery distortion.

There was a slight hum in the air. At first Biggs nor Wedge could hear it. Then the sound grew just enough to be on the edge of their hearing. The girl seemed to hear it more, though. She jumped out of her armor, still in the misty cloud of control by the Slave Crown. She continued to approach the Esper.

"Hey!" Wedge called out after her, "What's the matter? You know something we don't?" the last part came out with a worried whisper.

She didn't speak, not that Wedge had expected her to. She had no mind of her own, really. Instead she just continued to get closer to it. Wedge moved to approach her, when a blinding light flashed, surrounding him.

"Where's that light coming from!?" he yelled

The light burned his flesh. His body felt like it was about to fade away. Screaming, he disappeared. 

Biggs heart pounded hard. His hands began to shake as he looked around, fearfully.

"Hey! Wedge?!" he called out in a trembling voice "W-where are you?" 

The light surrounded him now. Every part of him felt as though it were splitting into a million pieces. "What's happening!?" he yelled out right before he disappeared

Still, the girl said nothing. The Esper had her entranced. She stood before it, swaying side to side. Electrical tendrils reached out for her, grabbing her. Something passed in between herself and the Esper, warm and familiar. A voice reached inside her mostly vacant mind. Tritoch, it whispered over and over again. She could feel its need to connect to her as though it had something to say, but she couldn't. Not yet...not yet...

An aura took hold of her, holding her close. For some reason it felt like home. Again it tried to speak to her, but her mind became overwhelmed. She slumped to the ground as the world fell into dark unconsciousness. Even in the depths of her sleeping mind, she heard the name repeat over and over. Finally, it left her mind with a request.

"Free me....sister..."

****EDS****


	3. Chapter Three: Mines of Narshe

Chapter 2: Mines of Narshe

First there was darkness, followed by swirling colors. Then the scent of burning wood tantalized her senses, rousing her from a dreamless sleep. 

Her eyes opened, fluttering a few time before she could focus. There was someone nearby, but the figure was fuzzy at best. She didn't feel fear just yet. Something about the place comforted her.

"Where..." her dry and hoarse voice was almost a surprise to herself. It felt like it had been a long time since she'd heard it, "Where am I...?" she finally got out after swallowing a few times.

She wanted to see more. Where was this place? Why did it feel like the safest she'd been? The girl sat up to look despite her unfocased eyes. But that sent a wave of pain through directed at her head. Her hand automatically flew up to it.

"Woah!" the figure close by exclaimed. A pair of firm hands rested on her shoulders, pushing the girl back into bed, "And I only just removed your crown!" the man said in amazement.

"Head...hurts..." she said as she allowed herself to be put to bed

"Easy!" another hand, his hand, accompanied hers on her forehead, "This is a Slave Crown. The others had complete control over you while you were wearing it." He said, soothingly

'Slave crown?' she thought. Why would someone put a slave crown on her? Why couldn't she remember anything?

"I can't remember a thing..." her voice was nervous and shaky

"Don't worry, it will all come back to you. In time, that is." 

She shook. Her memories had been stolen away. Part of her worried, though more of her felt relieved. Something told her she wouldn't want them. However, a whisper in the back of her mind called out to her. A name. Her name.

"My name...is Terra..." she whispered, surprised again.

The man came into focus with an awed look on his face. He was an older gentleman with snow white hair. His face was kindly that put Terra at ease even more.

"Impressive." He said as he checked her over, "I've never heard of anyone recovering this fast..."

BANG! BANG! BANG! 

Fists pounded on the front door to the old man's tiny home. His face turned in the direction of the sound which forced Terra to sit upright. She put a hand over her heart trying to calm the ferocious beating of it.

"Open up!" an angry voice echoed through the tiny home, "Give us back the girl and the Government's MagiTek Armor!!"

Terra looked at the old man with confusion. He, however, had the look of panic on his face.

"Open this door! We want that girl! She's a soldier of the US Army!!"

"Army?" she echoed, "MagiTek armor?"

The old man sat her up, then stood her up as quickly as he could. She swayed a bit, but the man supported her until she could manage on her own.

"Look," he said frantically, "I have to get you out of here. I don't have time to explain...Over here!"

He led her to a hidden compartment. It was a doorway out of there.

"Make your way through the mines. I'll keep these brutes occupied!"

Terra had opened her mouth to speak, but the old man pushed her out of the house, into the cold night air. So many questions, none of which were to be answered.

She could hear the yelling on the other side of the house, followed by the old man's angry protests as the army pushed inside. Terra headed down the dark path that lead to a bridge overhanging Narshe's streets. She slowly tiptoed. They were waiting for her down below. In the distance she spotted large tanks prepared to destroy and push through.

'Why are they after me...?' she wondered as she crept.

The bridge suddenly creaked in protest underneath her left foot. Down below, a soldier looked up above. 

"There she is!!" he yelled pointing up at Terra who looked at the ground below, fearfully.

She took off in a run toward the mines. She could hear them yelling in pursuit. They were coming to take her back. Back where? Why? Whatever it was it was making her sick to her stomach.

"Can't think about it....." she mumbled to herself as she passed through the opening to the mine.

It was dank and wet. Foul creatures did not hesitate to come up to her. Especially giant sized rats that she slashed at with her sword. She had no idea it was even there at first. Her hands just flew to it immediately and, as if with a mind of their own, her hands and arms swung viciously at the rabid creatures. Their blood splattered on the ground as she fought. Another reason to feel ill, but she pressed on.

Ten minutes went by as the creatures attacked randomly. Terra managed to fight them off, but grew increasingly tired. She hadn't fully recovered from earlier, now this. She managed to stumble across a chest. It struck her odd to find such a thing in a mine, but she opened it to discover an energy drink inside.

She opened it and drank it down. It gave her a bit of a boost.

She pressed on, deeper into the mines. It was all blurring together. Every corner and every tunnel seemed the same as the last. In no time at all, Terra realized that she was lost, though she had no time to worry about it. Footsteps quickly approached. Soon, the soldiers appeared from the shadows of the tunnels from all sides. 

Wide eyed, Terra backed into a corner of the cavern. They slowly inched forward. She pressed back more. There was no where to run.

By fate, or perhaps something else, the floor beneath the girl gave away. With a screech, she plummeted into the cavern below, landing hard. She managed to bump her head hard. The soldiers yelled down to her, but the words were nothing more than an incoherent jumble. In moments, the world blackened around her.

*******************

The past wrapped around her mind. Pictures, faded pictures appeared before her like a movie, yet she could feel what she watched.

The blonde man touched her face roughly. She wanted to fight him, but he was hers now. Her will was his will. There were no choices to be made.

"My sweet little Magic user...!" he said with cooing at her, "Uweee... he... he! With this Slave Crown I'll practically OWN you!!" 

She wanted to scream and slap him away. Nothing...her body wouldn't respond. He stared at her with ice, blue eyes, smiling as though nothing in the world could stop him.

The scene changed. Suddenly, Terra found herself in the confines of MagiTek armor. She controlled it as he controlled her. She sent a laser beam of fire into an unsuspecting creature, ripping its body into heated shreds

"Uwee, hee, hee! Good! Burn up everything!" she heard the blonde man exclaim excitedly from beside her.

And she did...for hours upon hours until HE grew weary.

Then she was beside another man, an older man. He was powerful, yet craved more. She was his key, and she knew it. 

He stood before his legion, his public. They listened with eager ears.

"We stand on the brink of a major breakthrough! In the days to come, we'll witness a total revival of Magic! It is our destiny, and ours alone, to take this mystic force and claim what is rightfully ours! With our newly found power, nothing can stand in our way!" he said happily, as though he'd made some personal accomplishment though he had done nothing. 

Still, the crowds cheered in his favor: "Hurrah!!! Long live Emperor Gestahl!!!"

And she was there with him. Saluting and praising him.

*************

"It took you long enough!" the kindly old man rumbled gruffly as he let in a young blonde man.

He was a grungy boy adorned with a blue scarf. He had an angular face and a smile to charm the pants off of just about anyone. From the looks of it, the boy had been on the road for sometime, though this was nothing new to the senior. 

This was Locke Cole, after all.

Locke smirked at the man with his arms crossed. The old man had no time for the child's cocky behavior. Ignoring any sort of protest, the man pulled Locke into the house.

"So..." the old man eyed Locke questioningly, "How goes the robbing and plundering trade?"

Locke's mouth gapped open for a moment, then his eyes turned angry.

"I prefer the term 'Treasure Hunter'." He said, not in the least bit amused.

The old man waved him off dismissively, "Hah, semantic nonsense."

"There's a HUGE difference!" Locke exclaimed defensively. The other man dismissed him again. "Anyway," Locke said with a sigh, "Are you the one who sent for me?"

"Yeah." The man smiled, "There's a girl I want you to meet."

There was momentary excitement in Locke's eyes, but then.....

"Wait a minute....." he said accusingly, "This had better not have anything to do with that MagiTek riding, American bitch!"

The old man gave Locke a cold glare.

"The US Army is pursuing her even as we speak. This town is no match for them, with the help of our government. Our independence can only be assured if we join forces with the Returners, an underground resistance movement. That girl wasn't responsible for her actions. We must get her to understand our dilemma! "

Locke had to admit, the old man gave one Hell of a speech. He was actually feeling compassionate toward the whore, but...And now the old man looked at him pleadingly. He raised a hand, hoping the old bastard would stop.

"All right..." Locke said after a moment, "I think we'd better help her out." His words came out slowly and carefully

"Agreed," the man smiled and led Locke to the back door, "Make your way first to Figaro and talk to the king."

Locke nodded, patted the old man on the shoulder, then rushed out the door toward the caves. A damsel-in-distress situation always had his name written all over it.


	4. Chapter Four: To the Rescue

A/N: A short chapter, not my best, but I wanted to further the story just a bit more. It was hard coming up with a description of the moogles, but I hope it's acceptable. 

Chapter Three: To the Rescue

Locke was a stealthy man. He had to be considering his occupation, if it could be called that. He slunk through the mines like a snake about to make for the kill. The man stayed clear of the flashing lights a little way down a tunnel. Luckily, they remained none the wiser.

He listened to the soldiers talk among themselves.

"She fell down below." One of them said

"Come on, this way..." a second responded, heading down another corridor.

When the coast cleared, Locke moved to the gapping hole to the floor below. He could barely make out the still body collapsed on the ground. 

"Looks like I'm going to have to get there first, fellas." Locke said with a small smile.

He cracked a few muscles then stood. This was probably going to hurt a bit, but...

With a little leap, Locke jumped into the hole. It was a little more than twenty feet from the floor above, which intimidated him at first, but he managed it. He landed with a thud, crouched beside the still girl. Quickly he looked her over.

"Whew, just knocked out..." 

For a moment he thought he was too late. That was not a comforting thought. 

One of his hands fell to her cheek, moving her blonde hair from her face. She looked at peace. Hard to believe someone so beautiful and so innocent could be capable of the acts he heard of.

'No, the old guy said she was under their control.' He needed to keep that in mind. This girl wasn't evil. Her government was.

"I'll take care of you. I promise..." he whispered to the unconscious girl.

There were footsteps and lights all around them suddenly

"Now we gotcha!" Someone exclaimed

'Oh hell...' Locke thought as he stared at the troops pouring in. 'Wonderful, there's a whole bunch of them...'

He was no match for a small army, not by a long shot. If they didn't kill him, he'd be a political prisoner for the rest of time. That wasn't the way he imagined going out.

"Kupo!" something sounded behind him

Locke's eyes shot to the sound.

"Moogles!" he said

Moogles were outcasts of their society that so happened to migrate to Narshe from the Far North. Many did not know of them, especially since they hid in caves to escape cruel eyes. The Moogles never explained WHO they were, so the townspeople named them. Sadly, "Moogle" was a derogatory term, but Locke did not know what else to call them.

They were short men and woman with large, slanted, pale blue eyes, and stout in a way that reminded many of bears of some sort. Both genders of the Moogles bleached their hair white to the point it almost blended with their very pale skin which they covered in white fur clothing. No outsider knew why nor could ask. No one spoke their language. Almost every word sounded like "kupo."

A few of them had weapons. Their blue eyes were blazing angrily at the troops that had invaded their space. Some of them looked up at Locke, pointing at the others in anger.

"Are you saying you want to help me?" 

Locke was shocked. Pleasantly so. He couldn't help smiling just slightly, especially one...a boy seemingly no older than thirteen or so nodded at him in response. Locke wondered if he understood, but that was impossible. Moogles never interacted with anyone...right?

The soldiers were moving in on them. The moogles took their places with crude weapons. Locke joined a group of them, pulling out his long whip.

And the battle begun.

Shots rang through the corridor, flying past their heads and grazing their arms and legs at times. One little moogle man was shot in the arm, but that hadn't slowed him. He just pressed on in determination as his blood seeped through his white fur jacket.

Somehow, the Moggles held their own with pikes, whips, arrows, and swords. They were faster than the soldiers, especially when they came in close. The army was dependant on guns which didn't help at close range. The moogles slashed down on their arms moving so damn fast, the soldiers couldn't get a fix on any of them.

And the one that nodded to Locke earlier...What he could do was truly astounding and unexplainable. He danced. His feet moved with such swiftness that it was a blur...and it made things happen! It was like watching someone alter time and space. 

Locke helped too, of course. His whip locked around a gun or two, yanking them away from their owners. The rest of his group moved in afterwards, laying waste to their intruders.

By the time the battle ended, the cavern was filled with the scent of blood. In the end, the army fell. They were all dead. Only one or two moogles had been injured, amazingly. Locke was thoroughly surprised by their skills as warriors. One by one, they retreated into their cavern, each of them nodding to Locke. The dancing one gave him a wink before he left.

"Thanks, Moogles! We're in your debt!" he called after them as he returned to the girl's side.

He lifted her up in his arms, holding her against him tightly and securely. Now all he had to do was find a way out of this place. He knew of a back exit to the caves, but only by word of mouth. There was something about a switch.

Locke came to an odd junction of the cave. The wall was slightly discolored. Perhaps THAT was the switch.

"I think this switch will..." he pressed it a bit until he heard a clicking sound in the distance. It actually worked.

The girl made a soft moaning sound. Locke looked down at her, watching her closely as her head moved from side to side. Eventually, her eyes opened, revealing soft green orbs...innocent and sweet.

"You're back with us now?" he said quietly 

She looked at him astonished for a moment. He had cuts and bruises all over him as though he'd just seen a battle. It made her wonder if...

"You..." she said, swallowing hard with a dry throat, "You...saved me?" she asked, confused.

Locke nodded at her, "Save your thanks for the Moogles." He said with a warm smile.

She wiggled in his arms a bit. Locke decided to put her down and see if she could walk. Terra grabbed her head, wobbling slightly

"Uhnn...can't remember anything, past or present."

Locke frowned at the girl. He put his hands on her shoulders firmly.

"You have amnesia?"

She nodded slowly, "A man said my memories would come back..."

Locke offered her another comforting smile.

"Give it time." Locke said gently, but the girl seemed quite unnerved, "Hey, you're safe with me. I give you my word!"

Terra looked at the stranger confused again. The blonde man chuckled

"I won't leave you until your memory returns." His tone remained quite gentle

He slowly led her out of the cavern and out the secret passage that led them to the end of town, away from the army and the Canadian government that began showing up to assist the US.

"This secret entrance might be useful someday. We should keep it in mind." He said quietly.

He noted a pair of ski mobiles off in the distance. Quite the twist of luck. Some of the towns kids must have left them out. Maybe the old man had it arranged? Or it could be a trap...No, he had a good feeling, and Locke's gut never, ever failed him.

"Come on, we need to get to the nearest airport."

"Why?" Terra asked looking around at the snowy terrain.

"We have to get to Figaro. It's in Nevada. We're going to have to sneak into the United States, first. Unless you have your passport?"

She shook her head, looking at the ground as though ashamed of herself. Locke didn't understand and would have questioned it, but now wasn't the time.

"Come on...uh..."

"Terra."

"Terra, I'm Locke. We've gotta get out of here." He led her to the ski-mobiles, taking off quickly.


	5. Chapter Five: On the Run

**A/N: Well, it's been a long time since I've even thought about this story. I hate neglecting a good story. Here's a brief update just to get me back into it. Yes, I know it's not that long of a chapter after such a long time to update, but what can you do? I'll make sure I'll keep on it. I hope you enjoy, whoever you are.**

* * *

Chapter Four: On the Run

Dreams jolted Terra from the peace of sleep. Nightmares of a cold room and a dangerous man that wracked her body with fear. Deep down, she'd hoped that they were simply dreams. Something whispered in her mind that they were, in actuality, memories clawing for resurfacing. Things that she wanted to stay buried out of fear for her well being. At least, that's what she thought.

The floor beneath her rattled and bumped, causing her to sit up straight with fear. Now that she was focusing on her surroundings, she realized t hey weren't familiar. Her heart pounded while she frantically began to rise from the lumpy ground.

"Don't worry. You're safe." a disembodied voice told her.

She looked to the back and to the side. Locke watched her with raised brows as though waiting for her response. When her nerves quieted enough, she managed to deliver.

"Where are we?" she asked.

There were boxes around them, bumping as the floor jumped beneath her. The entire place wreaked of something she couldn't place. She took in a deep breath then let it out with a mildly disgusted face.

"That smell is fish." Locke said with humor in his voice, "We are in a fish truck. Newman's Can-O-Fish."

She rubbed her eyes as she looked around more. That smell simply left things to be desired, but she figured beggers really couldn't be choosy. This truck helped them escape, so it couldn't be too bad.

"How long was I asleep?" she questioned, noting the lasting tiredness in her own voice.

He made a gesture that seemed like he was calculating. A thoughtful sway of his head, side to side.

"Maybe twelve hours, thirteen. You fell asleep in Vancouver where we hitched a ride with someone willing to help."

Her eyebrows knit together. She was surprised anyone was willing to help her. Something told her that she was the enemy. Or at least, she had been.

"Really?"

"Find that hard to believe, eh? Well, it's true. Some people are nice...at least where I'm from." he sighed, stretching out with his arms behind his head, "We should be almost in Oregon by now. We haven't stopped since we left Canada, I think."

Locke shut his eyes with a small smile playing at his thin lips. He seemed pleased with himself and his plan. Still, Terra had to wonder why he decided to help.

"Why are you helping me?" her voice was low–barely enough to hear over the sound of the engine.

His eyes fluttered open. Her breath caught as he turned those blue orbs on her. It was odd how they could seem so airy and carefree, yet full of something deeper and troubled. He looked haunted as he stared at her, which made Terra uneasy. She couldn't keep his gaze, so she turned away to keep from looking at him.

"Hey, a man should offer his assistance to a woman. It's a code, after all."

She gave him a brief, confused glance. Code? What was he talking about exactly? Did she even want to know?

"Why don't you just relax, kiddo. We'll get out at the next truck stop, then find our way to our to Nevada where we'll get some more help."

She nodded slowly, then curled up in a ball in attempts to loosen her surprisingly tense muscles. All these people offering assistance. It was kind...but why? It made little sense to her. Hopefully, someone would truly be able to explain it to her.

* * *

Kefka paced the police station with agitation painted on his face. His teeth clenched angrily, unable to cope with the waiting. The longer these incompetent canucks took, the further his weapon got away. Hell, she could be anywhere by now. Who the hell was helping her escape him! She was HIS. 

...And President Ghestal, of course. Couldn't forget about the Commander and Chief.

The officer stepped out of the interrogation room, holding a donut in one hand. His shirt was already laced with crumbs from some other pastry. Incompetence. If he had his way, stupid places like this would be wiped from the maps. Some people didn't deserve their lives.

"Well?" he asked, frustration heavy in his voice

"He says he hasn't seen anyone by the descriptions you gave me, Mr. Kefka. I dunno what to tell you, but there's other cities near the Canadian/American border. That tipoff must have been a fake." he shrugged.

Kefka, in rage, grabbed the man by his collar. Faces inches apart, Kefka's eyes burned into the officer. He knew he had him too tight. He heard his breath straining in 'Officer Canuck's' fat throat. What a beautiful sound.

Canadian officers and his own military men grabbed hold of Kefka's shoulders. After a mild struggle, Kefka finally let the man go. Despite open arms waiting to catch the man, he tumbled to the ground. He glared at Kefka who smirked at the fallen policeman.

"Wonderful. You've been so much help." Kefka hissed darkly

The officer stood, finally wiping off the crumbs on his uniform.

"No problem." he murmured

Kefka turned to his troops, nose slightly in the air.

"Boys, I believe Canada has given what little it had to offer. It's time to head home."

The troops saluted. Their man-in-charge offered the Secretary of Defense a nod, before the group headed out of the station. As they swarmed out of the room, Kefka turned back to the Canadian long arm of the law.

"Thanks a lot fellas. It's no surprise that your country is as...safe...as it is now."

The way he said that made the men in the room shudder. With a dark, monovalent grin, Kefka nodded to them. Turning on the heel of his snake-skin shoes, he joined the others who came with him.

"Sir," the lieutenant commander in charge approached, "Your jet is being readied. Take off should be in little over an hour to Nevada."

Kefka rubbed his hands together with a smile. He had a meeting with a powerful business owner that needed a little setting straight. He so did love meetings like that.

"Excellent, very good." he laughed as the rest of his Americans left the building.


End file.
